i feel excited. >> i'm going to be an accountant. >> i'm going to be a lawyer. >> i'm going to be a nurse. >> the work you are doing here is bringing change. cnn world headquarters in atlanta this is "early start weekend." >> looks like it's going to be a pretty bad storm. while you were sleeping, hurricane sandy downgraded to tropical storm sandy. the storm is still barreling north. damage to the campaigns could be catastrophic. >> of the 50 states affecting the president, these state could swing either way. the undecided states of america in focus. she's walking and talking and asking for her school books. the miraculous recovery of the girl they could not kill.

rise and shine, saturday, october 27th. thanks for keeping us company. >> i'm victor blackwell. good to have you with us, as well. we begin with tropical storm sandy, which is slowly making its way towards the east coast. the storm is responsible for about two dozen deaths in the caribbean and now it's near florida. while sandy has been downgraded to a tropical storm, expected to regain strength this weekend. >> damage could top $3 billion, that's billion with a "b." the exact location of sandy's impact is still not known. really encouraging residents to prepare right now.

several states of emergency including new york, pennsylvania, maryland. a limited state of emergency has been issued for maine and as of now the national hurricane center says several tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect for tparts of the carolina. let's bring in meteorologist alaxandria stele. winds close to 70 miles per hour, but how soon could it return to hurricane strength. >> we could see it return late tomorrow but because this has been downgraded to a tropical storm. we're talking tropical storm force winds extended out from the center 450 miles. this is a massive storm. really nothing like this we've seen. what we've got is really a combination. a powerful and really potentially deadly and has been hybrid storm. so, here's the deal. here's the tropical storm. 70-mile-per-hour winds and want to give you the breath and depth and scope of this thing. the west side of it is in the

gulf and the east side of this windshie wind shield is in the atlantic ocean. what makes this so different? well, here's what it is. normally this time of year when we have a hurricane or tropical storm, it gets caught up in this polar jet stream and that automatically takes it eastward. what is different about this, this area of high pressure and low pressure to the south of it. really all it is, as this storm moves eastward, instead of being pushed continually eastward, it's a wall. it's being forced to go back westward because of the flow around this high. this is really the culprit. what is also strange about this. we have this incredible air pushing it westward and this is the potential of where it will go. it's massive in size and hybrid, so, it's got the moisture from a tropical storm and it has the energy from almost an area of low pressure like a nor'easter. tropical storm force winds

extending out 450 miles and snow in the forecast with this thing. this is the forecast models pushing it and you can see the consensus with this, which is odd. certainly this far out, as well. this is the scary part. so, it brings it here making landfall somewhere between washington and new york city, then look what happens here, kind of just rotates and spins and that's the scary aspect. remember, irene in vermont all that flooding. sandy is rotating and spinning for 24 hours dumping an inch of rain an hour. so, this is the potential for devastating and deadly flooding. couple that with, of course, this wind field 70-mile-per-hour winds extending 450 miles out and the potent energy with this bringing snow potentially to the mountains on the western side of it. so, guys, this -- computer models have been for 25 years and they have never had to run this exact scenario. so, a lot of very intriguing, but scary things about it. >> alexandria, thanks.

a storm of this size can cause a nightmare, not just in terms of -- they are asking people to come in from out of state to help the power company. also opening a staging area at baltimore's airport to prepare for the storm's arrival. 300 national guardsmen can be put on recovery. the storm is already having an impact on the presidential campaigns, especially in some key swing states. both vice president biden and mitt romney canceled campaign rallies in virginia beach, scheduled there this weekend. now, the obama campaign says the change was taken out of an a abundance of caution and so that police and emergency crews could stay focused on helping preepal with the storm. first lady michelle obama has canceled a rally in another

swing state, new hampshire. it was scheduled for next week in durham. the campus is closing for the storm. next hour we're talking with a member of the political operation there about the four electoral votes in new hampshire and why they are so crucial. forget about the campaign events alone, there are fears that the storm could prevent some people from voting altogether. edison electric institute warned customers that sandy cou ay couk power out for seven to ten days, and we're ten days out here, which could include the election day. flooding and extensive damage could keep people from making it to the polls. just look at this picture we put together showing some of the campaign layers impacted by a major storm hitting the east coast. now, as we mentioned, campaign events across the country are already being delayed or canceled already altogether. also, we told you to expect huge

travel delays in addition to impacting millions of travelers. the campaigns may have to make some last-minute maneuvering. finally, a major storm hitting the most densely populated center of the country to weather news, updates meaning less visibility for the candidates. one state where they're counting on high visibility is ohio. we have a new poll for you from ohio. one of the maybe crucial swing states for this election. >> good news for the president, not great news, but good news, apparently. our martin savidge is in cleveland with more. >> that new cnn poll, good morning, victor and chirsti, does not show any real change between president obama and mitt romney were after that first debate. still 50% in favor of president obalma and 56% to mitt romney. that is still well within the

margin of error. other polls and other pundits that have spoken of a shift in ohio going in favor of mitt romney, momentum is not reflected in the new cnn poll. it is where it was a couple weeks ago. president obama hangs on to ohio and many believe he will hang on and be re-elected to a second term. this is not by a lack of trying by both candidates to win over last-minute votes and they are doing it to spend an incredible amount of money. $177 million buying television time, much of that money spent right here in northern ohio. we should point out in the cleveland market in 2008, total campaign ads, television time, $36 million. in 2010, it was up to $44 million spent. so far, we are at $88 million in cleveland alone. some say it's closer to $97 million and we've still got a way to go.

400% increase over two2008. the cost of a commercial in the 6:00 news is up over 400% in this market. i'll leave you with one other fascinating fanth. if you took all the political commercials that ran in the cleveland market since the beginning of october and ran them back-to-back you'd sit down and watch them for four and a half days straight. back to you, victor and christi. >> thank you. speaking about polling, that could even be impacted by the storm. gallup editor in chief ed newport says if people cannot be contacted because of large power outages and disruptions, they "might have to stop polling for the days when the storm hits." president obama is going to lose florida hands down. that's the claim our next guest is making.

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in south carolina where people are already bracing for tropical storm sandy as the storm makes a slow march up the coast. the hurricane center has issued warnings and watches for parts of the carolinas. for all you folks there, be careful. let's head down 95 a few hundred miles and go to the beautiful sunshine state of florida. the president and governor romney really, really want your votes in florida. they're among the most sought after in the nation, unless you forget the obama campaign put out a potent reminder. >> 537. the number of votes that changed the course of american history. >> florida is too close to call. >> the difference between what was and what could have been. so, this year, if you're thinking that your vote doesn't count, that it won't matter, well, back then there were probably at least 537 people who felt the same way. >> oh, yes, the florida recount.

that was 12 years ago. when you see the hanging chad and the guy checking the ballots, it all comes back. so are florida's 29 electoral votes. here to talk with me about florida this morning, bernie thompson, host of "the burnerni thompson show" out of florida. who is going to win florida? >> if it were held today, mitt romney would win florida. >> president obama is going to lose it and he won in '08. why do you think he is going to lose it? >> he won the vote from women and independents pretty handily in 2008 and he is neck and neck with women and independents are leaning pretty strong towards mitt romney. i think that's because, victor, people wanted hope and change in 2008. it's much different to run on a record than it is to run on promises. right now we know one-third of the american labor pool is out

of work. the net worth of american families plummeted 40% and americans are watching the president, we feel mislead us, on very important issues such as benghazi. >> you say that americans want the hope and change. how can both republicans or people who are voting for mitt romney if they're independents say that things have changed too much. they "want their country back." but they still didn't get change. how can you have the argument both ways? >> that's easy, victor, that's easy. republicans never wanted president obama's hope and change. democrats and independents did. >> let's talk about those independents. >> those are the ones right now who are the ones you're talking about. those are the ones most disappointed. >> let's talk about something that happened on your show. a caller called into your show and gave you a bit of a warning, right? >> he gave republicans a warning. the same thing i have been doing. if mitt romney wins this time around, i'm an embarrassed if republicans screw it up this time around, i don't know if

we'll vote for them again. >> i'm going to give the republican party this warning, that i'm with you by default. but if you don't do something in the next four years, it's just going to flip right back to democrat. >> and, specifically, that warning is for what element of the republican platform? where are they going wrong? >> i think if we vote republican this time around, what we want is mitt romney to govern as a conservative, not as a republican in name only. republicans are longing for real conservatism, smaller government. quite frankly, a lot of republicans worry that mitt romney is the guy to do that. right now enough of us in florida who are willing to go from a humongous democrat and from there we'll go to a democrat. we just want a president that puts above the government.

>> all you need is a president with a few working digits to sign whatever congress passes. do you really that much care what governor romney's core principles are if he just sips whatever comes out of the house and senate? >> we absolutely care. barack obama said george w. bush signing statements and he made the executive branch too powerful, but it turns out he didn't have a problem with executive orders and signing statements, he had a problem with who was doing it. we and independents in florida want a president who will stay within the parameters of the legitimate authority of the presidency. president obama is not pressing independents in florida by running on bill clinton's record and blaming george w. bush. independents are saying, what about your record, mr. president. >> we'll talk a lot more about the undecided states of america not hour. be sure to stay with us for that. we'll talk about new hampshire, the four electoral votes there could really be the difference

in this historically close race. this is a story that has a lot of people. we have the latest on malala, the 15-year-old girl shot by the taliban. s everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank.

. residents of char lsten and other cities are awaiting sandy's approach. the exact time and location of

landfall, who knows. the storm is currently in the atlantic ocean. meteorologist alexandria steele will be along with the latest on is the storm's path. sandy is expected to have a major impact on land and in the air. now, right now, amtrak says all of its trains are operating as scheduled. crews, of course, monitoring tracks throughout the northeast, though. >> meanwhile, several airlines are revising their change fee policies ahead of the storm. what they charge you if you want to fly at a different time. you have to check with your specific carrier for the details. all right, let's move you to syria. evidence that a cease-fire is not holding right now. it was called to mark a muslim holiday. >> 12 people have been killed today. 150 others died on friday, according to an opposition group. another group added there were 300 other cease-fire violation including gunfire and shelling.

this time last year he was italy's prime minister, but now silvio berlusconi sentenced to four years for tax fraud broadcast rights for american movies to be shown on tv in italy. berlusconi told cnn that it was an unpolitical sentence and he is expected to appeal. american football hits england sunday with the st. louis rams hosting the new england patriots. now, to get in the spirit coach jeff fisher practiced on a pitch this weekend. rams own er stan kranki is majority owner. sunday's game will be the sixth international series match for the nfl in london. all right, we have an update for you on malala yousufzai. the pakistani girl shot by the

taliban. >> she's getting important visitors. >> hey, victor and christi. malala you sufzai is receiving the best medical care she could possibly get after being shot in the head by the taliban earlier this month. she has also been reunited with her family for the first time since she was medivaced earlier this month and it was a very emotional reunion, indeed. recovering in a hospital bed malala yousufzai is surrounded by her family. this is the first video of the 15-year-old activist since she has been shot in the head by the taliban. her father who arrived from pakistan on thursday spoke about what he called her progress and

the family's reunion. >> i love her and, of course, this morning, last night when we met her, there were tears in our eyes and they were out of happiness, i think. >> the attack on malala, she was returning from school has provoked widespread outrage. thousands have protested across pakistan where she has been a vocal campaigner for girls' education. she was targeted by the taliban because of it. now, public anger has turned against the militants. her father who has vowed to return the family to pakistan has expressed his gratitude. >> when she stood pakistan turns and this is a turning point, which is not only my daughter, but daughter of everybody. >> reporter: doctors here at the queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham talk of her very good progress. the head wound is no longer infected and it does not appear

to be any brain damage. her vision and hearing appear good, although they're still being tested and let's say she has a very good recollection of the traumatic events that brought her here. she's not forgotten her cause either. one of the first things she asked, says her father, is whether he brought her school books. a sign of how determined this young girl remains. all right, doctors do, though, say, that there is a long way for her to go. a lot of reconstructive surgery she has to have done on her head. remember, the bullet shattered her skull and a big piece of bone taken out and they have to put that back or replace it with a titanium plate. there is a lot more work and psychological counseling to do before malala will be fit enough to leave this hospital. >> what a powerhouse she has become, no. [ male announcer ] when these come together,

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storm. it's moving slowly, already having an impact on parts of florida. this is ft. lauderdale, where the cleanup has already begun. the national hurricane center says tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect for the state. just ten days and counting until election day 2012 now. the race is as tight as they come. the latest cnn poll of polls has romney at 48% and president obama at 47%. so, essentially, this is a dead heat. the president's campaigning through new hampshire today, hoping to win some of those voters over and mitt romney headed to florida. both key battleground states, but stick with us for updates because this tropical storm, sandy, could certainly change all the campaign plans. senate majority leader harry reid has been released from the hospital after getting into a car crash in las vegas. vehicles in his motorcade crash with a civilian car. the 72-year-old democrat suffered rib and hip contusions, but we're told he's in good

condition. warnings ignored. that's the finding of a report from the food and drug administration in the meningitis outbreak responsible for 25 deaths. mold and bacteria overgrowth were detected and reported almost 90 times since january to the new england compounding center. the company linked to the outbreak. the fda says it has no evidence the company ever responded to those warnings. finally, lance armstrong is being asked to return the money from his tour de france wins. we're talking all of it. armstrong's been stripped of every one of those seven tour de france titles in the wake of doping accusations. record books will show no winners for those races. tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, cnn will have a special report on lance armstrong. hear part of that report in our next hour. let's go back to the top now, sandy. the tropical storm that has ravaged the caribbean leaving two people dead as a result and

despite being downgraded sandy is expected to pack a huge punch when it hits the u.s. forecasts call for the storm to return it hurricane strength and while the timing and location of sandy's landfall is unclear, people are bracing along the eastern seaboard. governors in new york, pennsylvania, maryland, they've issued states of emergency while the limited state of emergency is in effect for maine. meanwhile, the governor of delaware is prepared mandatory evacuations if sandy remains on its current path and in nearby virginia 300 national guardsmen could put on recovery efforts after sandy passes through that state. for those of you traveling this weekend, sandy is certainly going to have an impact. several airlines are announcing they will change their fees. meteorologist alexandria steele joins us now. we're talking about maine and maryland and where is the storm

now? >> maine to miami beach. you're talking about airport delays and cancellations and you could think of tens of millions being impacted. boston, new york, washington, dulles, reagan national. i mean, every major airport on the eastern seaboard could be impacted. you talk about virginia and maryland and del marva ten inches of rain and this is the hemoth all those words really do apply. here it is. it has been downgraded but it certainly does not lessen the damage. why? what's so crazy about this? what it really is is a hybrid of the storm. the tropical nature of it but the impacts of the area of low pressure. a classic nor'easter fusing together for potential explosion in terms of the wind and the rain amount. and normally this time of year, we have a hurricane or a tropical storm. this jet stream takes it

eastward. an area of high pressure here and low pressure to the south and as this thing pushes east, it gets caught up in a wall and can't move any more eastward. with the wind that is taking it farther westward. that is the problem. it does have the fuel of the jet stream and it is expected to reintensify when it interacts with the jet stream sunday into monday. when we see this make landfall with the center of circulation. landfall on this, really, so many bigger aspects of this inland. look at this, this is the computer model guidance. the consensus is unbelievable. all of it has it pushing westward and what happens, the scary aspect of it, it meanders and rotates. what does this mean with the storm of this punch, 24 hours of sitting and stalling and rain and flooding and the intense winds. that's really the scary scenario inland. really what we could see. that's why we're talking upstate new york and even western pennsylvania. there it is. monday we could see it make

landfall in the delmarva. even snow is an aspect. that is what is so powerful about this hybrid of a storm. president obama talks horses and bayonets. donald trump talks trash and big bird is the word for halloween. here's what you may have missed in the week that was. >> he's become a president of status quo. >> you definitely have a case of romnesia. >> one thing you know about mitt romney, the man is a leader. >> he's not going to get elected. you're going to be okay. >> election 2000 20 12 nearing the home stretch in a week that was. a week that started with the final debate. time to make nice, right? not so much. >> our navy is smaller now than any time since 1917, that's unacceptable to me. >> governor, we also have fewer

horses and bayonets. >> ouch. >> we have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. and we have these ships that go under water, nuclear submarines. but, really, there was some nicety, right, mr. romney? >> the president was right to up the usage of that technology. i congratulate him on taking out osama bin laden. i want to underscore the same point that the president made. i supported his action there. i felt the same as the president did. >> i think romney is leaning obama. >> it did not last long? >> we haven't heard an agenda for the president. >> team obama knows full steam ahead. the president went on a two-day battleground blitz this week or, as he calls it -- >> our 48-hour fly around campaign marathon extravaganza. >> speaking of extravaganza, did you hear about donald trump's big, huge, mega game changing

bombshell announcement of president obama? yeah, neither did we. he did come out with this -- >> if barack obama opens up and gives his college records and applications and if he gives his passport applications -- >> you get the point. but the president got the last laugh. >> this all dates back to when we were growing up together in kenya. >> and from big hair to big bird. >> i'm glad to be the way i am. >> the halloween costume is already sold out this year with one man to thank. >> i like pbs, i love big bird. >> and that is the week that was. such a good line for the president. we were growing up in kenya. >> that was a great line. there have been a lot of great one-liners. >> no shortage of one-liners from the campaign. okay. so why did europe and economic debt crisis take second stage to

places like mu, our richard quest says it's because neither romney nor obama can do anything about it. we'll explain. (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. keys, keys, keys, keys, keys. ♪ well, he's not very handsome

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and this is just coming in. al qaeda's leader al zawahiri is calling for prisoners. >> he apparently attacked barack obama for "lying to the people about the u.s. military's withdrawal from iraq" and it's coming withdrawal from

afghanistan. this is a two-part video, we understand. it was posted, as we said, on islamic website. >> the first question and it concerns libya. >> mala has been taken over, the northern part of mala by al qaeda-type individuals. >> also a potential partner in the international community. >> the opportunities for us in latin america, we have not taken advantage of fully. >> as long as i'm president of the united states, iran will not get a nuclear weapon. i made that clear when i came into office. >> china, iran, latin america, mala, those are some of the countries discussed at monday's third debate. the question is, why. i asked richard quest, host of "quest means business." how either candidate can have an

effect on the u.s. economy without dealing with europe. >> they are powerless to do anything about it. there is a reason they haven't talked about it in the debates or it's not an a issue in the campaign. they can't do anything about it. they can conjoel and berate and have some influence, but the euro zone and the european union is a trading block just almost as big as the united states. it has more people in it. so, president obama and certainly we know from tim geithner, the treasury secretary who continually beats them over the head for europeans to do something. but they are powerless. they have to stand and watch. >> so, we know that over the last four years the president's tried this diplomacy with europe. has it worked? you say it's because he can't do anything. >> on economic grounds, absolutely. this is a debt crisis in the heart of the european countries.

no matter how it started, no matter where it's going. it's up to the ecb, the european central bank and the central bank for europe and up to the imf and the u.s. could have some influence there. but fundamentally, fundamentally the u.s. has to stand on the sidelines and watch, be worried and warned. >> now, deficit. big issue for a lot of voters this election season. we know that governor romney has said in the third debate that u.s. is on track to follow greece, that america is the next greece. is this just really hot rhetoric or is it likely? >> it was a wonderful little sound bite, wasn't it? if obama gets elected, u.s. is the next greece. it's just hyperbole the differences between the u.s. and greece are so enormous that it doesn't really bear really fair comparison. not only because the u.s. has got the dollar, which is the world's largest reserve currency

and largest market and growing at 2% and employment at 7.8%. all these issues. what the governor is talking about, of course, is debt and deficits. and the very high level of u.s. debt, which at some point is going to have to be addressed. whoever gets elected to the white house, whichever party takes the house and the senate, they are going to have to deal with the debt crisis. >> now, also got a chance to ask richard about his stateside train trip through the u.s. talked to voters from chicago through iowa and utah and california. >> this was brilliant. i tell you why i really liked it because i got to see, i got to see americans, whether it was in the civil war reenactment in iowa or at byu in utah or in colorado and i got to hear what their concerns truly are in this election season.

it gives you a better perspective than the metropolitan elittism of the coasts. >> check out "quest means business" or watch cnn international noon eastern. can you imagine sitting next to richard quest on a train. >> a small space for a big personality. >> big personality for one seat. something really serious here, a teenager dies after drinking two monster energy drinks over two days. >> the question is, who is to blame? is it the drink? i asked dr. sanjay gupta what doctors are saying about it. all energy development comes with some risk,

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well, sandy is now a tropical storm.

you think that would be good news, however, it's expected to return to hurricane strength over the next couple of days. >> in new jersey and all up and down the east coast, preparations have begun for sandy's arrival. officials are warning of heavy rain and strong wind and the potential for widespread outages. cnn estimates that wind damages alone could top $3 billion. i want to tell you about some medical news right now. the parents of a 14-year-old girl who died after drinkingwo monster energy drinks are suing. the makers of the drink say they're not to blame. i spoke with chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta about what's in these drinks and whether the fda needed to warn the public. what did doctors say, first of all? >> with regard to this girl, there was a report and they said that she had an underlying condition it causes collagen problems in her body and problems in the heart a.

known as a valve regurgitation. there was a lot of caffeine on top of this condition. if you have a heart condition like this, avoid excess conditions of caffeine. that's what they concluded here. that's what the coroners concluded. >> if we're talking about a lot of caffeine, how much was it in this drink? >> it was quite a bit. people don't realize. let me give you a frame of reference here. if this were a 24 ounce can, this is the particular drink, that would be equal to about seven cokes or just as many pepsi cans. >> at a time? >> at a time. in this particular case what we know about this girl, she took one one evening, one night and within a 24-hour period, took another one. that's the concern. caffeine doesn't hang around your body that long but several things in the energy drinks that cause concern. >> your medical opinion, 24 hours. they were spaced far enough apart, do you think that would have been enough to kill her?

>> i think in this situation, it's hard to know. in this situation, even just one of these cans, keep in mind, again, is seven cokes, as many pepsis. you have these substances, these supplements that can be caffeine-like. they're not caffeine, but they can behave like caffeine. so, could they possibly be all acting together? >> we know there have been five deaths total, but the fda never warned the public. why is that? >> before an official warning like that, you have to draw some cause and effect. that hasn't been determined yet. this is an ongoing lawsuit and people can report adverse events. that's part of the reporting process. if you think something happened to you as a result of a product, you can report that. but it doesn't mean the fda can issue a warning. >> dr. sanjay gupta, thank you so much. >> any time. states of emergency declared all up and down the east coast. >> yeah, we're looking at what could be an unprecedented storm

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at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. well, it is the height of election season, which means it is a gold mine for comedians. >> yes, they are loving it. here are the funniest late night laughs from the week, starting with jay leno's take on the presidential debate. the last one. >> i thought bob sheiffer did a great job. he instructed the audience not to clap for any reason because in his house that makes the lights go on and off. this was not his first time.

no, he also moderated the bush/kerry debate in 2004 and the douglas/lincoln debate. >> among a voting bloc known as walmart moms. that's true. and mitt romney won the debate, according to the voting bloc, wouldn't be caught dead at walmart moms. >> one of president obama's winning points last night was about how sanctions against iran are crippling their economy. believe me, if anybody knows how to cripple an economy, it's president obama. >> a source close to romney just revealed that he gets a spray tan before a major campaign event. i guess that explains romney's new secret code name. yesterday president obama visited the swing state of ohio for the 17th time this year. 17 times. people are so used to seeing him they're like, oh, hi, oh.

>> donald trump called president obama and said, i'll give you $5 million, $5 million if you can release your college records and your passport. here's $5 million. release your college records and your passport and i said, hey, don, i'll give you $5 million if you release that thing on your head. >> well, experts say the entire 2012 election could come down to just eight states. the states are confusion, dismay, depression, apathy, shock, disbelief, despair and anxiety. those are the eight states. >> boy, this is the time when you really see what comedians have in them. their createivity and their talent. >> the late-night hosts and "snl." every saturday night, appointment television. thanks for starting your morning with us, we have much more ahead on "cnn saturday morning." starts right now.